Invincible: My Journey from Fan to NFL Team Captain

In 1976, Vince Papale was thirty, a former schoolteacher and part-time bartender, and a season ticket-holder for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. When he heard that Coach Dick Vermeil was holding open tryouts, he decided to give it a shot. Shocking himself and the coaches, he ran an explosive 40-yard-dash in just 4.5 seconds -- a world-class time -- and was offered a contract on the spot. When he joined the team, Papale became the oldest non-kicking rookie in NFL history, a fan favorite who played for four years and was named a team captain.

Invincible is Vince Papale's story, and a tie-in to the Disney Pictures film of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg as Papale and Greg Kinnear as Vermeil. But more than just a tie-in, it tells Papale's story in his own words, covering subjects not included in the film. Like Rudy, Glory Road, and Rookie, it is the true story of an ordinary man who achieves an extraordinary goal.

In 1976, Vince Papale was a down-on-his-luck substitute teacher, part-time bartender, and season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Eagles, the team he’d grown up rooting for. He had always loved football, but the closest he’d ever come to playing on Sundays was in local rough touch leagues. Until fate stepped in.

Vince was thirty years old and wondering what he would do with his life, when he heard that Coach Dick Vermeil was holding open tryouts for the Eagles. He had nothing to lose, and with the coaches eyeing him, he ran an explosive 40-yard dash in just 4.5 seconds - a world-class time - and was offered a contract on the spot. But, as much as his speed, it was Vince’s heart that impressed Vermeil.

But there was more to the story Vince’s success was tempered by a complicated family life, a past that continued to haunt him, even as a hometown football hero.

At its core, Invincible is an underdog story that will inspire others to pursue their dreams, too.

Library Journal

Philadelphia Eagles fan Papale made the team at age 30 in 1976. An underdog story that's being made into a fall 2006 Disney film, with Mark Wahlberg. Simultaneous Hyperion hardcover. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Vince Papale is a former Philadelphia Eagles player whose life is the subject of an upcoming movie. He lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.